Council rejects Kurdish sociologist's PhD equivalency, refers thesis to prosecutors
Güllistan Yarkın's application to have her Binghamton University doctoral thesis on racism against Kurds recognized in Turkey was rejected by the Interuniversity Board (ÜAK), which then reported her to prosecutors. She now faces charges of "insulting the Turkish nation"; the first hearing is set for October 6 in Ankara.
RastinewsA Turkish court has opened a case against sociologist Güllistan Yarkın, who lives in the United States, on charges under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) after the Interuniversity Board (ÜAK) filed a complaint against her. The board had rejected her application to have her doctoral degree recognized in Turkey, citing a thesis that examined racism against Kurds.
"Terrorist propaganda" claim
ÜAK rejected Yarkın's 2018 equivalency application in 2020, arguing that her thesis on anti-Kurdish racism among workers in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu district legitimized PKK activities and amounted to "terrorist propaganda." The board argued that some statements in the thesis could constitute the crime of "insulting the Turkish nation" under TCK Article 301. It also claimed the phrase "AKP government" used in the thesis could constitute the same offense.
ÜAK reported her to prosecutors
After rejecting the equivalency request, ÜAK also reported Yarkın to prosecutors in 2020. Investigators dropped the "terrorist propaganda" charge but sought permission from the Justice Ministry to pursue some statements under Article 301. The ministry granted partial authorization on April 15, 2026. Prosecutors filed the indictment on August 17, and it was accepted by the court on August 21.
"ÜAK's job isn't to evaluate theses"
Yarkın, currently a visiting researcher at the University of Hamburg, said ÜAK's role is to verify whether a diploma is genuine, not to review the content of a thesis. "My university in the United States found my thesis worthy of a doctoral degree," she said, adding that the board had overstepped its authority.
Yarkın said earlier theses using terms such as "colony," "colonialism," "Kurdistan" or "guerrilla" had not faced scrutiny, but that theses featuring such terms began to be targeted starting in 2020. She noted that Mehmet Baki Deniz, who went through a similar process, was reported to prosecutors after her, and said she believes the case will not remain limited to a small number of people.
Yarkın's 2017 doctoral thesis, which examined racism against Kurds among workers in Zeytinburnu, was submitted for equivalency review to ÜAK in 2018.
A thesis by Mehmet Baki Deniz, from the same university and department, titled "Who Has Ruled Turkey Between 1980 and 2008?" was also rejected in 2021 on the grounds that it contained "harsh criticism." Deniz's subsequent lawsuit was heard by the Council of State.
ÜAK also reported Deniz to prosecutors in 2021. A report by Marmara University argued that his thesis could constitute the crimes of "insulting the President" and demeaning state institutions.
Source: Kısa Dalga